"This land into trust milestone marks the culmination of years of hard work by the Pueblo of Isleta as well as important progress in the Obama administration’s goals of empowering tribes, restoring tribal homelands to support self-determination and self-governance," Jewell said in a press release.

"Through the persistence of tribal leadership and the support of the BIA Southern Pueblos Agency, Albuquerque Area Office, and more importantly, the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, the Pueblo of Isleta will celebrate a historic event as this land base is placed into Trust for the Pueblo of Isleta," Governor E. Paul Torres. said in the press release.

The BIA has now placed nearly 400,000 in trust for tribes since President
Barack Obama took office in January 2009.
Officials hope to hit 500,000 acres in the next 12 months.

“Tribal leaders across Indian Country continue to place a high priority on restoring tribal homelands," said Larry Roberts, the acting assistant secretary for Indian Affairs. "We are fully committed to placing half a million acres of land into trust during this administration as a step in the direction of correcting misguided policies of previous administrations.”